In our complex investment world there are so many choices to invest your money and many types of investment advisors to choose from. How do you know which direction to take? Stock brokers from large investment firms or advisors from smaller firms; brokers that make their money selling you investment products or advisors that charge you a fee. The choices are endless.

We believe our firm offers a refreshing option.

• We are a “fee-only” investment management firm, offering advice not influenced by commissioned investment products (ie loaded mutual funds, annuities)
• The client’s assets are held at a discount broker to save the client money.
• We are a small firm offering personalized investment advice.
• We take the time to educate our clients so they are informed about their finances.
• We have a unique screening system for choosing only the best investments.
• We offer a wide choice of investments for our clients.
• We contact our clients on a regular basis to keep them informed on the progress of their accounts.

WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT?

We are compensated exclusively by fees paid by our clients which allows us to work in our clients’ best interests and solely for them. In other words, we act in a fiduciary capacity when advising our clients. Many financial advisors receive the majority of their compensation (commissions) from the investment products they recommend. Often there are hidden commissions and compensation fees that are not made transparent to the client. Other firms work as a fiduciary for their client only part of the time but then collect a commission when they recommend an investment product such as an annuity. These advisors call themselves fee-based, attempting to confuse the client into thinking they are fee-only. Usually, in both of these situations, the individuals that represent these firms have an incentive to recommend high cost products, such as whole life and/or universal life insurance, variable annuities, and A, B, & C shares of mutual funds.

The second major way in which we differ from our competitors is that we work as a team for our clients, providing personal attention every step of the way. In most firms, each advisor has his or her own set of clients. While any two advisors in the same firm may operate in a somewhat similar manner, clients almost always receive two different levels of service as well as quality of advice. Our advisors work closely as a team to deliver a coordinated approach so that our clients are counseled in the same manner and receive the same innovative level of advice and hands-on, courteous service. Each of our advisors specializes in a different area and works on the clients’ behalf in a concerted manner thereby ensuring quality advice and consistent customer service. Our job is to take over the client’s time-consuming task of managing their affairs between multiple advisors both internal and external to us. We are always eager to work with a client’s existing advisors to recommend strategies that address our client’s needs. Should a client need an advisor in a particular area that requires expertise that we do not provide, such as drawing up a will or consulting a certified public accountant, we will recommend a prescreened professional who can assist in this area.

We further differ from our competitors in that we create customized solutions for our clients. One simple example is that often our clients come to us with investments that have a low cost basis. At many of our competitor’s firms, they would simply sell the asset and fit the proceeds into their investment offering. Our advisors, instead, will initially complete a comprehensive analysis of all securities as well as their tax ramifications. We then would discuss the findings with our client and develop a strategy. If a particular security no longer fits the portfolio, a plan of attack would be developed to liquidate it. Typically, securities with a low cost basis would be whittled down over time, utilizing losses from other securities.

Not only do we have a number of investment management offerings that can be tailored to each client’s needs, we are continually on the lookout for new investment strategies that we can offer to our clients.

EXPERIENCE

We have over 59 years of combined experience helping individuals, families, and small businesses plan for their financial needs. Having lived many “financial lives” we know what works and what doesn’t. Experience is priceless in a financial arena dominated by investors and advisors who have never seen a recession or a “bear” market.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Experienced Christian financial consultants and advisors specializing in the financial planning profession since 1993.
• Jim Elder is the founder of CFPN – Christian Financial Planner Network, a monthly meeting for Christian Financial Professionals.
• Jaimee Carnes is a Certified Financial Planner™ with industry experience from Vanguard.
• Daniel Carnes has industry experience as an advanced broker from Charles Schwab.
• Adam Miller is a CFP®, a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®, and a Qualified Kingdom Advisor™. He has also earned a Master’s degree in Personal Financial Planning.
• The financial book, WealthCare – Power Principles to Help You Achieve Financial Security is authored by the company’s founder, Jim Elder. This Biblically based financial book helps savers to achieve their financial goals. It is available at Amazon. com or by inquiring on our website.
• The Financial Health Fair, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, was founded by Jim Elder.
• ‘Dollars and Sense’, a bi-monthly financial magazine, provided insightful articles on financial planning and investment management.
• Our Christian advisors are active community members lending their expertise and financial guidance to businesses, associations, churches and other community groups as well as serving in Rotary International.
• We serve as fee-only fiduciaries who provide advice in the best interest of our clients as a Registered Investment Advisor firm.

EXPERTISE

Our team works together to help their clients reach their financial goals. Our fee-only financial advisors actively manage client’s accounts with continual transparency and open communication and work to maximize performance and minimize our clients’ exposure to risk.

INDEPENDENCE

We are not owned by a bank, a brokerage firm, or insurance company. We are independent and as an independent advisory firm, we are able to utilize a multitude of investment offerings by working with large financial services companies throughout the world.  Unlike many financial advisors, we can utilize both no-load and load-waived investments for our clients, meaning that we can paint from a very broad investment palette to meet our clients’ needs. We utilize Institutional Class shares, which offer extremely low expense ratios, for even our clients of moderate means.

OUR BUSINESS IS LIKE A FAMILY BUSINESS

Our mission is to care about our clients’ goals as if they were our own. We are a small firm partnered with some of the biggest and strongest financial services companies in the industry. We believe that with us you get the best of both worlds: financial strength and individual, personal attention. Our firm offers the antithesis of the cold mega-merged financial services companies building long-term relationships with our clients.

WHY SHOULD YOU CHOOSE OUR SERVICES?

Making the financial decisions necessary to achieve your goals takes knowledge and commitment. It takes the kind of expertise, individualized attention, integrity and objectivity that we offer.

We look at each client as an individual who has personal goals as well as financial goals. Our services are designed to suit each individual, without compromise.

We do much more than provide financial advice. We give you a plan and the tools to build your financial success. From investment management to tax, estate, education and retirement planning, we provide expert guidance and up-to-date solutions. We offer you options and the knowledge you’ll need to make informed decisions about your future.